I have had a T-Mobile G2 (HTC Hero) and that had horrendous problems with keeping a signal and with dropping calls and missing texts. They replaced it and replacement was the same. Not impressed.

Now have the HTC Hero and find it hard to fault, other than the optical track pad thingy being, in my opinion, totally awful. I used to use the trackball on the Hero to correct spelling mistakes, etc. Now I find I just backspace and re-type due to the lack of sensitivity in the track pad.

My son has the T-Mobile Pulse and that is a good size, nice screen BUT very lacking in storage space for apps. There ought to be a 2.1 update for it and hopefully it'll then also get the apps to SD update as and when and if it comes. Otherwise it's okay for the money.

Had an HTC Magic as a work phone for a couple of months - as good as the Hero BUT no HTC Sense UI and personally, I think HTC Sense makes Android much, much nicer to use.

So, out of my experience and going on personal taste regarding looks, etc, I'd have to say the Desire.

Desire or the Nexus One, depending on whether you need Sense UI and whether you want your OS updates as soon as they become available rather than months behind. (Yes, yes, after 2.2 fragmentation will be smoothed out, but the thought of updating framework-res.apk and other system files through the market gives me nightmares and doesn't strike me as very likely.)

I'd wait for the samsung galaxy S coming out in the summer. i think samsung makes the coolest phones and they are hell bent on making the thinnest phones. best phone i ever had was the thin d900, except tm,ob blows chunks in manhattan.YouTube - Samsung Galaxy S hands-on

Oh for god's sake, people should just forget the Galaxy S already. It's from Samsung. Samsung does shit UI--look at that custom skin they slapped on Android--and provides shittier software support. Firmware updates? Perish the thought.

I was going to wait for the samsung galaxy S to come on AT&T, but their UI turned me off, it looks too much like the iPhone's, especially with that green call button, ICK. So I went and bought myself a Nexus one instead . I've also heard about how Samsung doesn't give a rat's ass about firmware support after a phone has been released.

So I give another vote for NO SAMSUNG.

Other than that though you've got quite a few options.

For the first tier you have the nexus one and the desire which imo are the best ones

then for the second tier I'd say a Telus Milestone (The GSM version of the Moto Droid) or something like the HTC Legend.

Never wait! You wait three months for a phone that's announced now, and by the time that comes around there's another new one announced for three months past that and you wait for that too. Get the best you can now.

i want to get an android phone, and want to know the best GSM version to get. i hear issues and complaints with them all, but i would love to hear all of your opinions...

Click to expand...

The "best" is whatever suits you best -- what others like is irrelevant unless the others happen to have the same preferences as you. As is typical with threads like this, you've completely omitted what it is that you specifically want/need in a smartphone. Without that info, no once can give you a meaningful recommendation.

-GSM of course
-IF i get a Sense UI phone i would like the option to turn it off. i really dont "love" Sense UI. i like the stock android look
-Ok battery life, i mean i dont need one like my 9700 that lasts 3 days, but would like it to last at least a day of usage. and i have no prob shutting off WIFI, and GPS etc..
-i am fine with either a physical keyboard or the touch keypad
-MUST, have a gorgeous and clear screen...
- i do not get 3g coverage at my house, so 3g means nothing to me

Hope that all helps guys?

BTW, i have a new behold 2 ruinning 1.6. if i sell it on here or ebay, what Could i get for it?

-GSM of course
-IF i get a Sense UI phone i would like the option to turn it off. i really dont "love" Sense UI. i like the stock android look
-Ok battery life, i mean i dont need one like my 9700 that lasts 3 days, but would like it to last at least a day of usage. and i have no prob shutting off WIFI, and GPS etc..
-i am fine with either a physical keyboard or the touch keypad
-MUST, have a gorgeous and clear screen...
- i do not get 3g coverage at my house, so 3g means nothing to me

Click to expand...

Then get the Nexus One; Sense can't really be turned off anymore unless you get a home replacement, which defeats the entire point of getting a Sense phone.

Twenty-two hours of battery life (under fairly frequent browsing by wi-fi, constant music, etc) good enough for you? That's about the longest I can get with my N1 without undervolting it.